Hollywood has been making romantic movies for decades (and believe it or not there was a time when they were actually good!). If you’re looking for something more than simply latest braindead romcom here are few Hollywood classic love stories worth spending some time with this Valentine’s Day.
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Director Nancy Meyers gives us a great Christmas present – a fun romantic comedy, a chick-flick that guys can actually tolerate and enjoy. Who would have thought it possible? Merry Christmas everyone!
Amanda (Cameron Diaz) and Iris (Kate Winslet) have two things in common: neither has good taste in men, and both are depressed and alone at Christmas. The two complete strangers decide to swap lives for two weeks. And so movie trailer maker Amanda finds herself in a small British town in a cozy home with a stack of books, and Iris ends up in a posh L.A. mansion with a host of DVD’s.
As each explores their new surroundings they meet new people. Amanda falls immeadiately for Iris’ roguishly handsome brother (Jude Law), and Iris cultivates two friendships – the first with an elderly screenwriter (Eli Wallach), and the second with a composer (Jack Black) who has as much luck in love as she does.
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As a critic I’ve seen my fair share of romantic comedies over the years. Some are cute, some are sweet, some are funny, and far too many that are dumber than the celluloid on which they’ve been shot.
Fans who feel Adam Sandler has gotten too far away from his roots (where he made ridiculous comedies without a semblance of reason) are in for a treat. Sadly the rest of us will have to struggle through the painful cinematic misfire that is Just Go With It.
Sandler stars as Danny, a plastic surgeon who, on his wedding day, learns his wife-to-be has been cheating on him. He takes his sorrows to the local bar where his wedding ring and white lies about his long-suffering dysfunctional marriage turn into years of bedding a number of young hotties that rivals Wilt Chamberlain.
Everything in Just Go With It is based on lies, and not even good ones. The main plot begins when Danny sleeps with a beautiful woman on the beach (played by Brooklyn Decker, whose bikini gives the film’s only good performance).
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Yeah, it’s a simple love story. Boy loves girl. Girl falls for more accomplished boy. A more modern take on the Bye, Bye Birdie story is so delightful that I actually prefer it to the original play and its other film versions. In the hands of director Robert Luketic and screenwriter Victor Levin such a predictable story is given class and charm up the whazoo. And so what we get is a well told and engaging story about great love that changes your life.
Sweet down home Rosalee Futch (Kate Bosworth) works at the Piggy Wiggly with her “Pete friend” (Topher Grace) and her “Cathy friend” (Ginnifer Goodwin). The three musketeers work together and hang out at the local pub where the bartender (Kathryn Hahn) has made her feelings about Pete a little too clear. Pete however has been harboring feelings for Rosalee for years and thinks he is finally ready to admit his love. In a comedy this is where something usually goes amiss.
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Garden State is one of those films I missed in the theaters and hunted down on DVD after a number of people had recommended it to me. I’m so glad I did! Zach Braff’s first time as writer/director produces a truly great romantic comedy with a heart bigger than even an infinite abyss.
Andrew Largeman (Zach Braff) leaves his struggling acting career and returns home for the first time in nine years to attend his mother’s funeral. Andrew is disconnected from his family, and life in general, through a variety of medications that create an overall malaise. The death of his mother and his return home begin a series of events that allow Andrew to reexamine his life and start to live again.
On his return to New Jersey Andrew meets up with old friends Mark (Peter Sarsgaard) and Jesse (Armando Riesco) and has an unexpected encounter at the doctor’s office where he meets Sam (Natalie Portman).
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